Having difficulty making delicious cheese sauce for pasta

[kenny1999]

hello
I am not professional but I like to cook and dine home. I 've been trying to make cheese sauce for pasta for quite some time. I use cheddar cheese, cold milk , all-purpose flour, butter, pepper and salt. I don't think I've missed anything. The taste is OK but it's still very far from those bottle finished sauce I buy from the supermarket. They are VERY delicious. What is the reason for the difference? Which one is the key? Type of cheese? milk? or the flour? I don't understand.

 

[CraigC]

hello
I am not professional but I like to cook and dine home. I 've been trying to make cheese sauce for pasta for quite some time. I use cheddar cheese, cold milk , all-purpose flour, butter, pepper and salt. I don't think I've missed anything. The taste is OK but it's still very far from those bottle finished sauce I buy from the supermarket. They are VERY delicious. What is the reason for the difference? Which one is the key? Type of cheese? milk? or the flour? I don't understand.

Describe your technique for putting those ingredients together.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Hard to say.

The key may be on the label of the jarred sauce from the supermarket. It could be some type of additive or flavor enhancer that they sneak into your favorite brand of cheese sauce.

If you make a basic roux from butter and flour let it cook a minute or two to get rid of the raw flour taste before adding the milk.

Maybe you need to be more aggressive with salt when seasoning the white sauce.

Use an aged cheddar cheese for more flavor or maybe add some Parmesan or Romano cheese. Use some American style cheese for creaminess.

Maybe you need another flavor element. If I don't have great cheese I saute an onion with the butter before adding the flour to make the roux.

Maybe just stick with your favorite brand of supermarket sauce, nothing wrong with that!

 

[menumaker]

Hi Kenny,
You may like to try 1 teaspoon of english mustard powder mixed in with your flour next time. Cheddar cheese sounds perfect. Is it the 'extra strong' or 'mature'cheddar because that is what you need for the best taste. It might even need a little extra sea salt than you would normally add but be careful, just a pinch at a time and keep tasting. In all honesty I doubt that you will get exactly the same flavor as the bought kind. Have you read the list of flavor enhancers they add? Don't worry, yours will be authentic and delicious I'm sure.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Hi Kenny,
You may like to try 1 teaspoon of english mustard powder mixed in with your flour next time. Cheddar cheese sounds perfect. Is it the 'extra strong' or 'mature'cheddar because that is what you need for the best taste. It might even need a little extra sea salt than you would normally add but be careful, just a pinch at a time and keep tasting. In all honesty I doubt that you will get exactly the same flavor as the bought kind. Have you read the list of flavor enhancers they add? Don't worry, yours will be authentic and delicious I'm sure.

The mustard is a great tip!

If you don't have mustard powder use a little prepared mustard to add some zip.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Creamy and delicious cheese sauce:

1 cup whole milk
1 cup strong/sharp, high quality cheese, shredded (I use 3 year or older cheddar, or some mixture of cheeses that I like)
1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard, or 1/2 tsp. powdered mustard

Heat milk until it just begins to bubble. Remove from the heat. Slowly add, ans whisk in the cheese until all is combined, and is silky smooth. Fold in the mustard. The mustard adds both a bit of flavor, and helps emulsify the cheese and milk fats, and helps keep the sauce from breaking.

Sauce - 2
1/4 loaf Velveeta Cheese product or 1 cup shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
3 tbs. butter
3 tbs. flour
dash of nutmeg
dash of salt
1/2 tsp. powdered mustard

Melt butter in a sauce pan, over medium heat. Add the flour and stir into the butter. Let cook until pale yellow color is achieved. Slowly whisk in the milk to make a smooth sauce. Heat until the Bechemel sauce just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and add the cheese. Stir until it's melted and silky smooth..

Others will be along shortly to add there recipes and techniques.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[kenny1999]

hi

I had read a lot of youtube videos before I first started trying to make some cheese sauce. The sauce I make looks good, but it's almost tasteless. I started with medium heat and some butter, as the butter melts, I pour some flour to it and mix them well with a stirrer (I don't know that English term). After some mixing I then pour cold milk into it (usually low-fat milk) and continue to mix everything with the stirrer, as the milk boils and evaporates I continue to add some milk for 3 times in total and then finally I put the cheddar cheese (cut into pieces) to it. Mixing is done at all times and heat is kept at medium or low.

The outcome is - it tastes like creamy stuff but without much taste

 

[Addie]

It definitely needs a good kick. Add some mustard. Either wet or dry.

 

[CraigC]

Are you adding enough cheese and is it sharp or extra sharp cheddar? I always add a good dash of hot sauce to a cheddar sauce.

 

[GotGarlic]

Salt and pepper will enhance the flavors, too.

 

[Andy M.]

I'd like to know more about the bottled sauce you are trying to imitate. What does the label say? What are the ingredients?

 

[Zagut]

hi

[snip] The sauce I make looks good, but it's almost tasteless. [snip]

The outcome is - it tastes like creamy stuff but without much taste

Sounds like you've got the technique of making the sauce down.
That's one of the hard parts.
Now it's time for you to experiment with the amounts and type's of cheese's and the spices used to get what you're looking for.

Bet you can make something you like even better then the bottled sauce.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I bet there is not enough salt in it.

 

[Kayelle]

hello
I am not professional but I like to cook and dine home. I 've been trying to make cheese sauce for pasta for quite some time. I use cheddar cheese, cold milk , all-purpose flour, butter, pepper and salt. I don't think I've missed anything. The taste is OK but it's still very far from those bottle finished sauce I buy from the supermarket. They are VERY delicious. What is the reason for the difference? Which one is the key? Type of cheese? milk? or the flour? I don't understand.

Like Andy, I'd like to hear exactly the brand of store bought cheese sauce you like.
Got Garlic, posted this interesting resource the other day that could be of help to you...

Real Food Homemade Cheez Whiz & Homemade Velveeta (gasp!) - Nourishing Joy

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

I'd also like to know what kind of store-bought cheese sauce you are trying to emulate. Based on the current information, my guess would be either not enough cheese or the cheese you are using is too mild. I like to use a mix of cheeses. I find jack cheese adds a nice flavor and texture when used with cheddar. A little swissis also good in the mix. I make sure to use aged cheddar because otherwise I have to use too much to get the texture right. You can also try using cream in place of some or all of the milk.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Like others, I have no clue what the OP means by "cheese sauce for pasta." That could mean anything from Macaroni & Cheese to Fettuccine Alfredo, which are completely different recipes.

It would be nice to have a little more to go on.

 

[Oldvine]

I also wondered how much cheese was in the recipe. I think jarred cheese sauce has some processed cheese like Velveeta.

 

[GotGarlic]

I also wondered how much cheese was in the recipe. I think jarred cheese sauce has some processed cheese like Velveeta.

It depends on what kind of sauce it is. Alfredo sauce wouldn't have that.

 

[biscotto]

I really think mustard powder or nutmeg is a great addition to a cheese sauce, it gives it the extra "bite" or "kick" I'm looking for.

 

[biscotto]

But are you looking for a "Mac and Cheese" type dish or "Alfredo" sauce? In that case, I don't know about mustard powder in Alfredo!